The Australian women’s tennis team will face Mexico in the Billie Jean King Cup 2024 Qualifiers tie at the Queensland Tennis Centre in Brisbane on Friday and Saturday.
The home team’s challenge will be led by a five-member team comprising Storm Hunter, Arina Rodionova, Ellen Perez, Daria Saville and Taylah Preston.
The best of five AUS vs MEX tennis tie, comprising four singles and one doubles match, will be played on the outdoor hard courts of the Pat Rafter Arena. Live streaming of the Australia vs Mexico Billie Jean King Cup 2024 Qualifiers will be available in Australia.
Arina Rodionova, world No. 103 in the singles WTA rankings, and Daria Savilla, world No. 94, will lead the singles charge on Friday against Giuliana Olmos (unranked) and Marcela Zacarias (world No. 562), respectively.
In the reverse singles fixtures on Saturday, Rodionova, returning to Australia’s Billie Jean King setup after eight years, will play Zacarias while Savilla will go up against Olmos.
Initially, Storm Hunter, world No. 3 in doubles, was expected to play in the singles but the 29-year-old sustained an iunjury during practice and was replaced by Savilla.
Whether Hunter will partner Perez to take on Olmos and Zacarias in the fifth doubles rubber remains to be seen.
The winner of the Australia vs Mexico tennis tie will join defending champions Canada, 2023 runners-up Italy, Czechia and Spain in the 12-team Finals to be played in November. The loser will move to the 2024 playoffs to be held in the same week as the Finals.
Australia are No. 2 in the Billie Jean King Cup Rankings while Mexico are 19th. The only time these two teams met in this competition was back in 1983 in Switzerland. Australia won that contest 3-0.
Australia qualified for the Finals in Seville last year but dropped down to the Qualifiers from Group B. Mexico, meanwhile, defeated Austria in November playoffs to secure a place in this year’s Qualifiers.
The Billie Jean King Cup, formerly known as the Fed Cup, is one of the most prestigious international tennis events for women. It brings together top-ranked players from different countries to compete in a team format. The tournament is the women’s equivalent of the men’s only Davis Cup.
Australia are seven-time champions but their last title came back in 1974. Sam Stosur, who was part of the Australian tennis team that reached the final in 2022 and came up short against Switzerland, will be the non-playing captain of the squad.
Where to watch Billie Jean King Cup 2024 Qualifiers live in Australia
Broadcast of Australia v Mexico, Billie Jean King Cup 2024 Qualifiers will be available on Channel 9 and beIN Sports in Australia. The first matches on both days will start at 12:00 PM Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST).
Billie Jean King Cup 2024 Qualifiers, Australia vs Mexico teams
Australia: Arina Rodionova, Daria Saville, Storm Hunter, Taylah Preston, Ellen Perez
Mexico: Fernanda Contreras, Marcela Zacarias, Fernanda Navarro, Giuliana Olmos
Billie Jean King Cup 2024 Qualifiers, Australia vs Mexico fixtures
April 12, Friday
- Arina Rodionova (AUS) vs Giuliana Olmos (MEX)
- Daria Saville (AUS) vs Marcela Zacarias (MEX)
April 13, Saturday
- Arina Rodionova (AUS) vs Marcela Zacarias (MEX)
- Daria Saville (AUS) vs Giuliana Olmos (MEX)
- Storm Hunter-Ellen Perez (AUS) vs Giuliana Olmos-Marcela Zacarias (MEX)